What Will You Do With Your Faith?

When you begin a project of some sort around the house, how long does it take to complete? I guess the answer to this may vary greatly depending on the specific project, but I think that most projects that are undertaken are ones that can be completed within a reasonably short amount of time. You may start to paint a room, and you probably will not spend much more than a few hours doing it. You might choose to go and change the oil on your lawn mower yourself and about an hour later you will probably be done. These types of projects are relatively easy to do and I think that a good amount of people would have enough faith in their abilities to complete these tasks.

But how about something far bigger, far more complex or difficult? What if you had been given the task to construct something such as, say, a small ship, with a very limited amount of tools and equipment to work with? How confident would you be that you would be even able to complete such a task? How much faith would you have?

If we look at the life of Noah we can see how faith led him to do something that many people would never have even attempted because of the massive amount of work that it entailed. God had warned Noah of a flood that He would send in the future to destroy the wicked from off of the Earth, and instructed Noah to build a giant ark to save himself, his family, and to gather together the animals to put inside. This was certainly not an afternoon project. This was a massive undertaking that took approximately 100 years to complete! That is an entire lifetime’s worth of time that Noah spent preparing for an event that, at the time, hadn’t happened yet. Yet each year that passed he continued to work on that ark. Why? Because he had faith.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It is faith that causes someone to do something to obtain something that they do not have yet. It is faith that causes someone to wait for an event that has not happened yet. It is faith in Christ that the life of a Christian must be founded on.

I cannot point to a single thing that “proves” that God created the Earth. But because I have faith in the teachings that are found in the Bible I believe the words of the book of Genesis when it says that God created the Earth in six days. Even though there may be millions of other people on this Earth who may try to persuade me differently, none of them will succeed because I have faith in Christ.

I have not seen Jesus with my own eyes. I have not seen Jesus heal the sick, give sight to the blind, or raise the dead. Yet, still, I believe that it happened. That is faith. Believing without seeing.

There are numerous accounts in the Bible of people whose faith in God was so great that it caused them to do things which may have seemed ridiculous or crazy to others who didn’t have faith, but they did it anyway because they believed.

Hebrews 11:7-13 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

We’ll stop here briefly to recognize the faith that these people showed. Abraham and Sarah were both getting older in age, old enough for it to be almost unthinkable that they could ever receive a child, yet they had a promise from God that they would someday have that child. And they did, because they believed and had faith in God.

Hebrews 11:23-35 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Moses had all of Egypt under him, raised in the house of the pharaoh and with all of the riches that the land had to offer him. Yet Moses gave it all up. Why? Moses gave up everything because he realized that the riches that come from God were far greater than all of the riches of Egypt, and he instead chose to suffer with the people of God. Because of his faith, Moses led the people of Israel into the wilderness and with the pharaoh’s armies closing in he lifted up his staff over the Red Sea and it split, allowing them to cross safely through and into freedom.

When the walls of Jericho stood in the way of Joshua and the Hebrew people their faith in the Lord caused them to obey His command, and they marched around the walls, blowing their trumpets. Seven days they did this because God told them to, and on that seventh day the walls came crashing down. Why? Because of their faith.

Faith is a powerful thing, and it is absolutely essential in the life of a Christian. It will cause us to do things that the world may not understand or comprehend, but it is our faith that separates us from the rest of the world.